Regnava Nel Silenzio
by Gia
Summary: [AU;NonRomance] In a world that's unaware of the Orders' War, a student mage, Harry Potter, must warn the other Orders. To start off, he runs into a student mage, Draco Malfoy, who engages a fencing duel with an inexperienced Harry.
1. Default Chapter

**Title:** Regnava nel Silenzio

**Author:** Gia

**Rating: **PG

**Pairing:** None

**Time**: AU

**Summary**: In a world that's unaware of the Orders' War, a student mage, Harry Potter, must warn the other Orders of the coming evil. Things don't go well when he runs into a student mage, Draco Malfoy, who engages a fencing duel with an inexperienced Harry. The road already begins with a hitch; how will the rest of the journey be?

**Disclaimer**: The story here is non-profit and for purely entertainment purposes; nor is it affiliated to Bloomsbury or any other publishers of Harry Potter. The characters belong to J.K. Rowling and the plot belongs to me.

**Author's Notes:** So what am I doing uploading this when I've got other stories going too? Well… sorry but this idea has been bouncing in my head while I've been trying to write the next chapters for my other fanfics. The only way to get rid of it was to write it down. Which I did. I tweaked it a bit and realized that it had some potential… so here I am.

You might be wondering about that **non-magic** bit, since I do say that there are magic tricks involved. Well, I make a distinction between magic and magic tricks. Harry's doing the latter, as in, it's not really magic, just smoke and mirrors kind of thing.

And about pairings…I'd rather not have any of that here. Maybe some moments between Ron and Hermione or some other characters… I just don't want that to get in the way of all the fun I'm going to have with this. The main characters happen to center around Harry and Draco but there isn't anything going on between them! You could imagine and it could work that way… but officially, nothing's happening.

Now onto the story!!

* * *

During the Magi Ages, magic users of all kinds were divided into orders. Orders of magic, who would train only the best in both magic and fencing. The main thing, also, was protecting themselves from exposure to the people who knew not of magic and were not able to use them. For a time, there was nothing to worry about. The orders coincided with each other without fault, and they need not have worried about ordinary people persecuting them. For how could they? They did not know of their existence. 

As times thrived, so did the Order's power. The small orders divided and formed, finally ending at 13 Orders. The last, being known only as the Order of 13. Each Order worked hard at perfecting their specialties, becoming more obsessed with finding ways of doing things. Convenient things with the use of magic. Each order's power grew, at an alarming rate. And as you know, absolute power corrupts --absolutely--. There was definite unrest among the orders, especially one. The Order of the Serpent. Their beliefs were extreme, bordering on insanity when it came to magic. They believed they should use abilities to obtain immortality, so they could reign over the non-magic users.

A battle was waged, but it soon spilled over. Men, women, and children fled from their homes, not knowing where it was safe to go. And indeed, there truly was no safe place. They had no idea of what was happening, for they did not understand magic. Grand cities were crumbling. The roads were filled with holes. The grain fields were brown and choked with weeds. The trees were stunted and burnt.

The Orders saw the destruction created by their battle, and they felt pity. Remorse. So, a decision was made.

The twelve Orders pulled together, and they scattered the members of the Order, banishing them to the places of desolation. And their beautiful leader of the Order, Eáránë, trapped in a crystal that was soon planted inside a withering tree. She would be placed under the watch of the final Order, The Order of 13, who would see that the tree was kept from sight.

The years spent after where upon fixing what has been broken, and restoring the peace. A period of silence once again, soon the people were untroubled and the Orders continued their traditions. And slowly, bit by bit, each Order lost contact with the others. Isolated amongst their sole lands protected with wards of all kinds, carrying out to teach their students, merely to make sure that they were able to control their magic.

Finally, the Order of 13 stopped contacting the other Orders as they had done to them. And life continued.

No one knew, but soon, the fallen Order would come back. Regrouping, and finding their lost members. Finding their leader. Because by that time, the Orders' would have their guards down from peaceful times. And like a serpent, they would strike.

**

* * *

****Regnava nel Silenzio **

By Gia

_Chapter One: Rough Introductions_

* * *

A young boy, slender and elfin features, with raven tresses, lightly decked with what seemed like royal purple colors, passed through an archway into what must be the solarium -- His name was Harry Potter. 

A circular room covered by a glass dome. A thicket of maples spring up in the middle of the solarium, casting a pleasant shade over the entire room. Creepers twine their way up the walls -- twisting around bronze water pipes. A patch of mushrooms sits undisturbed near the archway.

Smiling to himself, he remembered the first time he had walked here.

**_Flashback_**

He had reached down to tug at one of the ivory-colored stalks.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

He dropped the mushroom instantly.

"That's a destroying angel," Peisinoë explained, "One cap of that could kill you."

"Why would you keep something like that in a garden?" I had asked, gawking openly at the mushroom that, only five seconds earlier, had looked so innocent.

"Good for potions." Peisinoë responded.

**_End of Flashback_**

* * *

He was quite young, but had an insatiable curiosity. He had toned it down somewhat, but couldn't get rid of it completely. It sort of morphed into instant trusting, something which his mentors were worried, and told him that as endearing as this trait was, it wasn't safe for such a young boy. Walking on, nightingales tittered to and fro, paying no heed to him. He reached a large clearing, "The Dux Solium" Leucosia had told him. The ground underfoot was soft -- cushioned with lichen, moss, and grasses. A massive tower spirals out from the middle of the Dux Solium. Bronze, engraved with ancient runes. 

Surprisingly, the runes were yet to be translated. Or so he knew, from his teachers. In truth, only thirteen women stayed at this place. Each named, after the mythical Sirens and Muses. This tower and all around were hidden, especially for the purpose that no one would ever know. Much like the other Orders of magic, it too had its own type of magic.

The massive tower, appropriately called "Fides Solarius", was built during the rule of Alysaundre Demière. It had consisted of seven different levels, including the ballroom and the library. On the top floor, beneath the dome, are the baths and the observatory.

Shaking his head from his thoughts, he kept on walking. He had learned much from the 13, the best training any student mage like himself could learn. Learning from a young age, he could practice and harness his abilities, and soon, he'd be able to be just like them, and maybe surpass them. His only goal was to be just like them, just as powerful, just as courageous, just as.. Everything. To him, they were perfect, never mind the fact they were like his parents or sisters, or basically family, but then again, these were only the thoughts of a child who adored them to no end.

He wanted to reach the library first, always going early. He had a terrible fetish for reading books. It was a good thing, but the 13 had told him to not always rely on books and information, especially when you needed to learn practical sense. Turning around a corner, he found himself in the library.

The library. An exquisite circular chamber -- The walls and floor made out of peppered marble. An onion-shaped chandelier hangs from the ceiling, two hundred lights illuminating the room. Curving around the walls are trellises created from the bronze piping, adorned with grapevines. Yes, the grapes of wrath are plump and ripe for the picking. He especially loved staying at the library, curling up in a chair, eating juicy grapes while deeply engrossed in the books.

He had found an entire shelf of books that used to belong to the other Orders. He found an interest a particular book that told of terrible stories dealing with the non-magic users. He was currently caught up in the short descriptions of lycanthropes and vampires killing their victims. The words were very detailed, and soon he lost herself in the pages. He unconsciously scooted near a chair, obstructed by a large bookcase. He sat in, and read.

_Elizabeth Bathory aka The Blood Countess_

_Slovakia_

_Believing blood had rejuvenating properties, Slovakien countess Elizabeth Bathory brutally slaughtered women from her principality and bathed in the blood of her victims. By the time she was brought to trial, it was estimated that the "Blood Countess" had killed more than 600 young women to retain her youthful appearance. She was found guilt and imprisoned in a room in her estate, where she died years later._

Harry turned the page, only glancing at the cold portrait of Elizabeth Bathory, who looked as pale as death, and very young. Shuddering a bit, he let his eyes wander to the next page.

_Jean Grenier aka The Boy Lycanthrope_

_Aquitaire, France_

_Jean Grenier of Aquitaire was barely a child when he was accused of being a werewolf. Abused by his father, he ran away from home and wandered around the countryside. One evening another boy, Pierre La Tihaire, took him into the woods, where they met a man known as the Lord of the Forest a tall horseman dressed in black. The man dismounted and kissed Grenier with icy lips. Upon their second meeting, the boys allowed their master to scratch brands into their thighs. He gave them wine to drink and presented them with wolf skins and an ointment. The Lord taught them how to rub their bodies with the ointment before putting on the fur._

_During their reign of terror, fifteen children including one from Grenier's cradle disappeared. When Grenier was finally caught in 1603, he confessed of eating them all. At that time he was fourteen, physically and mentally retarded. Taking into account his age and limited mental capacity, the Judge ordered Grenier to be confined in a cloister for life. There, he refused to eat any regular food and devoured offal instead._

_Seven years later he was visited by a man named Pierre de Lancre, who reported that Grenier had grown gaunt and lean. His deep-set black eyes burned incessantly. His hands were like claws with bent nails and his teeth were like canines. _

_Apparently, he enjoyed hearing about wolves and readily imitated them. After one more year he died, to be remembered forever in the history of werewolves as the "boy lycanthrope."_

Harry shuddered involuntarily. _Those poor people,_ he thought, _if only the Order of 13 knew about this. We could have done something. Or at least the other Orders. But I guess we never consorted with non-magic users at that time._ This time, Harry took a good look at the portrait of Jean Grenier, wondering why he did what he did. The Orders knew and classified the creatures, but they never kept them locked up or anything. They were only classified so the student mages knew what they were up against and knew how to defend. It only mattered about the Order and their students, nothing else.

The beasts were free to kill amongst people, and to be killed by the people, while the Orders stayed back. Harry clenched his fists at the thought. Nothing could change what happened, and no one really could do anything because it could risk being discovered. After the Orders lost contact with each other, they all developed wards that kept them away from any contact. It was as if they were on different planes instead of the material one, but that was just a theory Harry had been toying around with for fun.

Shaking his head at his quick thoughts, he turned back to his book, turning the page once more.

_The Captain's Vampire_

_Portsmouth, England_

_The voyage of the British merchant ship Cormorant from Portsmouth, England, to the Caribbean island of Nevis had special meaning for Andrew Oglethorpe. After ten years as a sailor, Oglethorpe had decided to call it quits and live out his days as a fisherman in the British West Indies. And so, on June 15, 1607, the night before his last voyage, Oglethorpe set up shop in a Portsmouth pub and drank to his good fortune. It wasn't to last. _

_As Oglethorpe staggered toward the docks an hour or so before dawn, a prostitute called to him from the shadows. Inebriated, and facing three months at sea with no female companionship, Oglethorpe eagerly followed her into a dark alley, ignoring the old seafarer's maxim: harlot for hire, might be vampire. No sooner had they found a private spot than the prostitute sunk her fangs into him, and Andrew Oglethorpe's dream of a life of tropical ease was over before it started._

_Like many victims of vampirism, Oglethorpe chose to deny what had happened. He boarded the Cormorant and assumed his duties as the ship left port under the direction of Captain Horatio Wheeler. By nightfall, Oglethorpe was in sick bay with a fever and chills. As Oglethorpe's wounds were not easily visible, the ship surgeon probably confused his symptoms with one of the more common ailments of the day. Eventually, Oglethorpe slipped into a vampiric coma; he was being prepared for burial at sea when he came back to life--_

He was abruptly cut from his reading, when the library doors had opened, well-- more like slammed open.

Shutting the book quickly, he slid from the chair, and crouched on the floor. Three of the 13, Thelxiope, Ligeia, and Himerope, were both anxiously talking. Curious, he crept closer.

* * *

"The darkness from the tree is manifesting. We have been idle in our guarding, and we have no way of preventing her from escaping her imprisonment." 

"How? Why? Can't we--"

"No. We've been avoiding our duties to guard; we've done nothing to help. As the strongest Order, we have failed immeasurably. It took **all** the Orders to imprison her, and we have lost contact with all of them, as they had done to each other. We can do nothing but worry about our safety from this."

"It is a selfish thing to do, but you are right. Eáránë will most likely use our place and magic to help her."

"What can we do?"

"We must put more protection."

"She can easily penetrate."

"Then we must ask our eldest sister."

"Aglaophonos had already come up with a decision."

"How--"

"You know her, her divinator skills are impeccable."

"I see, then what course of action will we take?"

"She says.. We must stay here and protect, but.."

"But?"

"Cryogenic stasis."

"WHAT!?"

"It's the only thing we can do; we can't very well protect it from just anywhere. Going into this stasis, will suspend this place, our home, into ice. We will be included of course; Aglaophonos has altered it so we can easily go about, but only from our restricted territory. That isn't so bad, our place stretches quite far, and we can go about here and there. Nothing will be different.."

"How long will we be confined to where we stay?"

"As long as the darkness lives. If she gains this fortress and us.. Her success would have already been written."

"But, surely we can't leave Harry.."

"He is young.. He will be very restless in the stasis. We have taught him well, teaching all of what we know. He can take care of himself. The only problem is telling him."

At this point, he stood up. Their surprised eyes turned to him. Harry felt his eyes prickling with tears, but he did nothing to stop the onset of tears. The three women looked terribly uncomfortable with Harry finding out like this. Harry smiled tearfully, and cleared his throat. "I know you have my.. Best interests in mind and I understand. I'll--I'll go pack now." The three women both looked on sadly, but accompanied him to his room. They left him there to pack, telling him to meet them in the Meeting Hall.

He stepped into his room, and immediately conjured the customary mage trunk, that was mandatory for every mage to own. It had seven keyholes, and each keyhole opened to a compartment. The seventh opened to a room that led to other rooms. Mages could fashion their room to mirror a real place, and Harry always mirrored it to be the inside of the Fides Solarius. He put everything he could think of that he needed from his room and put them into each compartment and closed it.

He would miss his home. His only home would be in a stasis, and he was left out on his own for awhile. He would have to meet an Order, and stay with them. Unless he was to be out on his own, but Harry seriously doubted that. The Order of 13 would not like that at all. When he was done packing everything from his room, shrunk it and put it into the pocket of his robes. It would be held in his mind until called upon on. Taking a deep breath, he headed to the Meeting Hall.

When he got there, all of the 13 were there. They smiled at him kindly, while Harry took a seat at the table. What passed there was over all too quickly. Each of the 13 gave their blessings to him, telling him that he should inform the Orders of what has happened, and assist in stopping her. They informed him that he would be staying with the Order of the Phoenix. Second only to the 13. Harry read about that Order and said he looked forward to meeting them. He confessed, reluctantly, that he feared he would not be immediately liked and not make friends at all. The sisters immediately assured him otherwise, saying if people were to meet him, they would have no choice but to befriend him. Harry laughed at the jest, his heart lightening.

* * *

The sky was darkening now, and Harry hugged them all one last time before setting off. He had to hurry quickly off the path that leads directly to his home, because the sisters would immediately put everything in stasis. Getting into a fair distance, Harry watched as everything he called his home was covered by ice. The ice spread quite far, and Harry truly wondered how large the land each Order owned. Sighing, Harry closed his eyes in concentration, and with the sound of displaced wind, apparated from sight. 

His feet met with the ground abruptly, and Harry had to pause to get rid of the dizziness that had suddenly overtaken him. He looked around, and found himself inside a dark forest. _Where am I?_ Harry thought to himself, frantically. He hadn't practiced doing this much, and hoped he hadn't miscalculated the distance.

Taking more caution once he realized his predicament, he walked carefully through the impending forest. Hearing the sound of water, he ducked from behind and tree and looked on. He saw a small stream, where a boy stood, holding out his arm to his side. In a flash, a rapier appeared in in his hand, and Harry watched in astonishment as the boy cut through the air effortlessly. _His form is perfect, nothing like mine, but then again, my forte has always been with magic. _Harry thought wryly. _I just hope he doesn't take that to me._

He approached, softly treading around. He didn't want to chance himself around the dark trees. Walking around the stream seemed like the best thing to Harry, as it was under the now set moon. He tiptoed from behind, mindful of the still slashing sound of the rapier. He had just reached the other side, when he heard a whistling sound and instinctively ducked. It was a good thing Harry did that, or the rapier would have surely cut off his head.

Gasping in shock, Harry thanked the stars, and quickly crawled to the side and stood up. The boy was staring at him coldly. His blonde, almost silver hair glinting in the moonlight; his robes were dark green, as opposed to Harry's white robes, that shined a peculiar green in the moonlight. "Who are you?" the boy called roughly.

The only thing Harry did was step back. He had assumed he apparated at least, near the Order of the Phoenix, but surely, they would not have such students as these? _Did the darkness force the Orders themselves to become colder? What has changed?_ Harry thought wonderingly. He was cut from his thoughts, when the boy spoke harshly again. "Who are you I say! Speak!"

Harry bristled at the tone. He wasn't going to be treated in such a way. Harry remained silent, and quickly thrust his palm out. There was a flash of light, causing the boy to shield his eyes. Harry turned, and took off. He heard a curse far off, and was startled to hear the sound of someone tearing through the trees. _He's running after me?!_ He thought. Harry ran harder, not used to this type of thing. Desperate, he held both hands in front of him, curling them as if he was carrying a ball. "Lacarem inflamare.." he whispered, and stared unblinkingly at the sudden fire in his hands. He didn't want to hurt the forest, but this fire would only encircle the boy chasing him. Harry stopped in his running and threw it.

The ball of fire would immediately surround the boy, wherever he was. Harry held back a yell, when the ball of fire erupted and formed a large ring of fire around him. "What's going on?" Harry spoke aloud.

"You tell me."

Harry whipped around, to find the same boy behind him. Harry backed up a few, staring at him. "How did.. How did you--?"

The boy smirked, tossing his head. "Get behind you so quickly? Well, if you tell me how you did this," he indicated the fire, "I'll tell you how I did it. I mean, everyone who learns at the Orders knows magic, but it's only the Professor Mages that can do magic of this caliber. Then again, what are you?" The boy paused, "Now, unless you don't want to stay here all day, I think it would benefit us both if you put out this fire."

He took a threatening a step forward, but Harry pushed him back roughly. The fire blinked out, as if turned off by a switch, leaving on a lingering smoke. Harry turned, but was brought down to the ground, when a hand grabbed his foot. He let out a cry, but quickly stood up, jumping back as a rapier nearly cut him. Harry lifted his hand and conjured a rapier to, hoping against hope that he could throw him off.

"Before we engage in this duel," He looked back at him mockingly, "My name is Draco Malfoy." He bowed deeply. "I must know the name of my opponent. Surely you will grant that?"

Harry narrowed his eyes, "Harry Potter." he bit out. He took his stance, praying that he wasn't too rusty in fencing. They saluted with their rapiers. Then the boy said "Have at you!" and to anyone watching, the two transformed into deadly enemies. Their blades clashed and parted and met again with such rapidity that to anyone's untrained eye couldn't follow. Even with Harry's ignorance of fencing, he could see that Draco was holding back, giving him to ward and counter. _Is he mocking me?_ Harry thought angrily, losing concentration momentarily.

This was all Draco needed, and effortlessly caught Harry's sideways blow on the guard of his rapier, flung his arm outward, and delivered a quick but light stocatta to Harry's unguarded chest. "Touch." he said.

Harry threw his rapier aside, where it promptly vanished. The sudden movement startled Draco, but he was still on his guard. "You're not getting away that easily!" he threw out his arm, sending a wave of magic that Harry couldn't recognize, after him. It clamped around his middle, throwing him forcibly into the Draco's chest. Draco spun him around to face him.

"Now, you're going to have to answer my questions or," he grinned wickedly, "I'll be forced to take certain measures. Are you willing to cooperate?"

Harry spit in his face.

Wincing, he quickly wiped off the spit, and then wiping his hand on his robe. "That wasn't very nice you know." Harry opened his mouth to retort but it shut when he lost consciousness.

Draco felt Harry become limp, and grinned triumphantly. "I love that technique." he crooned.

**_

* * *

_****_TBC_**

* * *


	2. Of New Orders

**Title:** Regnava nel Silenzio

**Author:** Gia

**Rating: **PG

**Pairing:** None

**Time**: AU

**Summary**: In a world that's unaware of the Orders' War, a student mage, Harry Potter, must warn the other Orders of the coming evil. Things don't go well when he runs into a student mage, Draco Malfoy, who engages a fencing duel with an inexperienced Harry. The road already begins with a hitch; how will the rest of the journey be?

**Disclaimer**: The story here is non-profit and for purely entertainment purposes; nor is it affiliated to Bloomsbury or any other publishers of Harry Potter. The characters belong to J.K. Rowling and the plot belongs to me.

**Author's Notes:** So what am I doing uploading this when I've got other stories going too? Well… sorry but this idea has been bouncing in my head while I've been trying to write the next chapters for my other fanfics. The only way to get rid of it was to write it down. Which I did. I tweaked it a bit and realized that it had some potential… so here I am.

You might be wondering about that **non-magic** bit, since I do say that there are magic tricks involved. Well, I make a distinction between magic and magic tricks. Harry's doing the latter, as in, it's not really magic, just smoke and mirrors kind of thing.

And about pairings…I'd rather not have any of that here. Maybe some moments between Ron and Hermione or some other characters… I just don't want that to get in the way of all the fun I'm going to have with this. The main characters happen to center around Harry and Draco but there isn't anything going on between them! You could imagine and it could work that way… but officially, nothing's happening.

Now onto the story!!

* * *

Tanti, anni son' passati. _Many years have passed.  
_Vite son' cambiate. _Lives have changed.  
_Era la mia città. _It was my city.  
_Non la conosco più. _I do not know it anymore.  
_E ora io sono solo un' estranea _And I'm just a stranger  
_Senza patria. _Without a native land.

* * *

_

**Regnava nel Silenzio **

By Gia

_Chapter Two: New Orders

* * *

_

The sound of wide doors creaking open, where the only thing heard. Draco made Harry's limp body float alongside of him, as he sneaked through the halls, heading towards the head of his house, Severus Snape. Just as he was swiftly crossing the halls, familiar voices drew near. Draco froze in indecision, wondering if he should hide, or wait for them to come. Them, happened to be two of Draco's friends. Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley.

Now, a thing you need to learn is that all students of the Order of Phoenix had their own unique abilities, or specialized in a separate form of magic. In this case, Draco happened to excel in shadow magic. It allowed him to do multiple things, but of what, he would never say. Only his friends saw Draco work his special abilities with shadows, but they never saw him work at full power. Hermione, apart from being able to soak up knowledge like a sponge, was an empath. She's honed her abilities, and is able to feel other's emotions to a degree, where she can understand what that person is thinking.

Ron owned an ability that didn't surprise the students of the Order, to professors, nor his closest friends. Fire. An elemental magic. If his hair wasn't his trademark, then his fire capabilities were. The three were close knit friends, their differences ranging widely, but they got along well. A big difference was mainly their houses. There were four houses in the Order of Phoenix, and those were Slytherin, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw. All three were in different houses, Hermione in Ravenclaw, Ron in Gryffindor, and Draco in Slytherin.

Luckily, their Order did not have the same problems as most Orders, which were house rivalries. Competition was present, but nothing that was too much to handle. Which was why the three got along well unhindered.

Draco waited for the two to come toward him, and it didn't take long for them to run up and notice Harry's unconscious floating body.

"Cor, who'd you kill!?" Ron yelled.

Hermione smacked him lightly, staring at Harry's face oddly, taking in his pure white robes that flashed in the torchlight, and then looking up at Draco. "What happened Draco?"

Draco shrugged, "Don't ask me. He showed up out of nowhere, we had a duel, and I brought him here."

Hermione raised an eyebrow, but nodded. "And I assume your taking him to Professor Snape?"

"Of course."

"Then we're going with you."

"But what about dinner!"

"We'll get something later, Ron. This is more important."

"Sure sure. Let's just go."

The three continued on their way, and finally reached Severus's chambers. Draco knocked loudly, and the door opened to reveal Draco's head of house. Coal black eyes glittered shrewdly, and he silently motioned them inside. Shutting the door, Severus spoke, "And to what do I owe the pleasure of being graced by your presence?" His fluid voice issued the barest hint of sarcasm present.

Draco floated Harry onto the couch near the fireplace. He related the story, Severus and his friends listening attentively, and by the time he finished, they were all looking at Harry suspiciously. It was different times now, a fake peace that encompassed all the Orders. Such a feeling had only occurred once, and that was during the time of the Order of Serpent. Just recently, the head of Orders have been trying to contact them, but it was a hard task, as they had no idea where each Order was located.

The main focus was trying to contact the Order of 13, who guarded the evil Eáránë. However, progress was slow, if any progress at all. And it was very suspicious to happen onto a mage, so far from their Order, and out of the blue.

"You will awaken him, Draco, and I will speak with the boy."

"Yes, sir."

Draco flicked his wrist, and Harry's eyes slowly opened. He groaned softly when he sat upright, rubbing the back of his neck to ease the soreness. It took him awhile to notice four pairs of eyes staring at him, and he immediately became alert. Enthralling evergreen eyes stared at the others, as Harry immediately scanned them and their magical capabilities. He stood up on the floor in a fluid motion, backing up with two steps. _'Not good..'_ he thought wearily.

There was silence, save only for the quiet crackling of the fireplace.

"Where am I?" Harry inquired softly.

"Your questions will be answered when you answer ours." Severus replied calmly, a steely edge to his voice. "What are you doing near our Order? Have you come to deliver a message from other Orders?"

Harry narrowed his eyes, but Severus remained unfazed. He defiantly ignored the other three, especially Draco. He was angry for what Draco did, bringing him here! "No, I haven't." Harry replied. "I am looking for the Order of the Phoenix."

Severus did not outwardly react to the news, but he inwardly wondered what this mage wanted with them. If not to deliver a message.. Then what?

"And what business do you have with that particular Order?"

"I apologize, but only the Head of the Order will know of my reason." Harry took another step back. "Now, will you kindly let me go?"

"I'm afraid I cannot acquiesce with your request." Severus responded coolly.

Harry's widened, and he could sense Severus gathering magic. He sent out a shield with his hands before Severus could lash out. But he wasn't safe yet. He cried out, when the fire from the fireplace suddenly roared to life, the flames licking at is back. Luckily for him, mage robes were protected from most magic.

As well learned as Harry was, it wasn't going to be easy to fight these many mages, not to mention a Professor Mage.

He closed his eyes, honing in on the magic that was pulsating around him. Why use his own when he could borrow theirs? Grinning, Harry reached out with his right hand and latched on to the elemental magic strip. The red-haired boy across from him cried out in alarm when he lost control of his magic. The fire from the hearth flew into Harry's hand, and he threw it out at them.

They were caught of guard at this unknown magic, and they all had to drop down to avoid being burnt to a crisp. Harry took his chance, and fled the room. No doubt the commotion would bring attention, and Harry didn't want to have the entire Order battling him. He wouldn't stand a chance. He didn't know where he was headed, so he turned left and ran down the hall. Unfortunately for him, that was the wrong direction.

* * *

"Cor, my hair's smoking!"

Severus stood, ignoring the statement. "Ms. Granger, Mr. Weasley, hurry and inform the Headmaster of our situation. **Do not** alert the others of what is going on." The two nodded, and they hurried out the door. "Draco, come with me. You managed to subdue our little friend, perhaps you can do it again."

Draco grinned wryly, and the stepped out. A mere tracking spell would solve the job. A white orb appeared before the two, and they followed it, knowing it would quickly lead them to Harry's spot.

* * *

"I'm lost!" Harry whispered to himself. He looked this way and that, but for some strange reason, this Order's base kept changing corridors and staircases. If Harry didn't know any better, he'd say this place was trying to get him lost!

Heart beating frantically, Harry opened the door to a room, and yelled. He had somehow stepped out into the same hallway he had fled into from the room, and the two mages, Draco and Severus, were running straight at him! Without a moment's hesitation, Harry acted. He locked on to his magic, and formed it into a Devil's Snare. He pushed out with his mind, and soon, large thorny vines sprouted from the walls. He turned, and ran down the same hall, hoping to by some time so he could apparate out.

He heard the sound of inhuman high-pitched squealing, which was the sound of the Snare's pain. He assumed his two pursuers were taking care of the plant. And quickly. He rounded the corner, and almost wailed to find it a dead end. It wasn't like that before! What kind of place was this?!

He turned around, and found both Severus and Draco standing in front of him. They were both panting, and sporting a few cuts, but otherwise okay. Harry backed up into a wall, held out his hands. Closing his eyes, he focused on apparating. To the other's surprise, he disappeared with a pop--

And appeared in the same spot again.

"WHAT!?" Harry's eyes flew open. What happened? Couldn't he apparate? This place… sent him right back!

Desperate, Harry threw up his hands, summoning a wall of stone, "Ram en' ondo!" He couldn't help but grin at Draco's outraged cry. But his grin faded, when the sudden yells paused. With reluctance, he walked toward the wall, leaning in, wondering what was going on. _'What's going on?'_

He didn't have time to make a sound of surprise, when a pair of hands reached through the stone and pulled him in. He landed against a hard chest, while strong arms wrapped around him, keeping him from moving, save for his legs. He didn't bother trying to move when he noticed more than one mage in front of him. Apart from the Professor Mage, and three student mages he ignored, there stood a wizened Mage, with a long white beard and half-moon spectacles. Not to mention the unknown person who kept him still, with surprisingly **strong** arms.

It seemed almost inhuman. Shaking his head to clear his mind, he watched with a tense frame, as the wizened Mage stepped forward towards him.

"Aglaophonos."

Harry's head shot up at him, evergreen eyes meeting twinkling blue. "How do you know her?" he asked hesitantly.

"She's sent word of your arrival, Harry. This place _**is**_ the Order of the Phoenix."

Harry froze. _'Lovely. Just lovely. How was he supposed to know this was the place? If Aglaophonos knew what happened, she'd either laugh her head off or hex me.'_

"Er…"

"In the meantime, Remus why don't you let go of young Harry."

Harry straightened up uncomfortably, aware of everyone looking at him. He could see Remus from the corner of his eye, and he was a bit shocked to see that his robes looked a bit shabby, and his appearance gave no impression of such strength.

"Well, Harry," the wizened mage spoke to him, "Aglaophonos and her sisters were right, you **do** have amazing powers. They have taught you flawlessly. However, would you mind getting rid of that Devil's Snare? The students might have a difficult time getting around that."

Harry smiled sheepishly, and he dispelled his magic. "Oh, I've completely forgotten. My name is Albus Dumbledore. And I am Head of this Order."

He clapped Harry on the shoulder gently, and turned to the other waiting people. "I've got everything under control here. Thank you for bringing Harry to me." He inclined his head silently to both Severus and Remus, and Harry watched as they left.

"Shall we talk in my office Harry?"

Harry nodded mutely, and followed Albus as he walked towards a door on the side of the wall that Harry hadn't noticed before. Opening it, he found himself in one of the most fascinating rooms he'd ever scene. He didn't have the time to take everything in, as Albus instantly headed to his desk. Harry sat in the indicated chair, while Albus sat in front of him, behind his desk.

"Aglaophonos hasn't informed me of your reason in staying here, but I welcome you nonetheless. She has, however, told me that you will explain what has been going on." He regarded Harry with serious eyes.

"Please spare no detail."

Harry nodded, and proceeded to tell him of Eáránë's rising. He spoke of the Order of 13's actions, and that he would be staying with this Order to help them when she comes. "There isn't much time, er.. Mr. Dumbledore--"

"Oh, Albus would be fine Harry. I've known Aglaophonos and her sisters for quite a long time, and they've always called me Albus, even when they were young."

Harry nodded uncertainly and continued, "There isn't an exact time as to when Eáránë will break free from her entrapment, but once free, she will surely head towards the Orders. Thelxiope told me that Eáránë might head towards the weaker orders and seek to gain control from them."

Albus nodded solemnly. "I will be sure to send out word of this news." He gave a smile, lighting the mood considerably. "In the meantime, I'll show you to your new room, and then you can head down for dinner. All of the students should be heading to bed at this point, save for the three who helped in this little escapade. Perhaps you can make friends with them."

'_Not likely..'_ Harry thought dejectedly, but nodded cheerfully towards Albus.

Harry walked as slowly as he could towards the double doors leading inside the Great Hall. His room was quite charming, and he need only call out to a house-elf named 'Dobby', to assist him if he needed help. But none of that had helped him get over his nervousness. He was almost positive that the others wouldn't warm up to him, much less become friends.

Harry remembered when Peisinoë had told him that he seemed like another person when he fought. Harry hadn't understood and Peisinoë had explained that when he fought, he seemed to lose his innocent and friendly appearance. And when Harry thought of the three, he wondered if they thought of him as an unpleasant person. He stopped in front of the doors. _'Don't worry. They'll understand if I just explain. Don't worry. Don't worry. Don't worry..'_

The sound of laughter from inside the doors drifted to Harry's ears. _'They're having a good time. Meaning they're in good moods. Perfect!'_ Harry took a deep breath and pushed the doors open.

* * *

_**TBC

* * *

**_


	3. Of Making Allies

**Title:** Regnava nel Silenzio

**Author:** Gia

**Rating: **PG

**Pairing:** None

**Time**: AU

**Summary**: In a world that's unaware of the Orders' War, a student mage, Harry Potter, must warn the other Orders of the coming evil. Things don't go well when he runs into a student mage, Draco Malfoy, who engages a fencing duel with an inexperienced Harry. The road already begins with a hitch; how will the rest of the journey be?

**Disclaimer**: The story here is non-profit and for purely entertainment purposes; nor is it affiliated to Bloomsbury or any other publishers of Harry Potter. The characters belong to J.K. Rowling and the plot belongs to me.

**Author's Notes:** So what am I doing uploading this when I've got other stories going too? Well… sorry but this idea has been bouncing in my head while I've been trying to write the next chapters for my other fanfics. The only way to get rid of it was to write it down. Which I did. I tweaked it a bit and realized that it had some potential… so here I am.

You might be wondering about that **non-magic** bit, since I do say that there are magic tricks involved. Well, I make a distinction between magic and magic tricks. Harry's doing the latter, as in, it's not really magic, just smoke and mirrors kind of thing.

And about pairings…I'd rather not have any of that here. Maybe some moments between Ron and Hermione or some other characters… I just don't want that to get in the way of all the fun I'm going to have with this. The main characters happen to center around Harry and Draco but there isn't anything going on between them! You could imagine and it could work that way… but officially, nothing's happening.

Now onto the story!!

* * *

I see skies of blue and clouds of white.  
The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night,  
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world.

* * *

**Regnava nel Silenzio **

By Gia

_Chapter Three: Making Allies

* * *

_

_He clapped Harry on the shoulder gently, and turned to the other waiting people. "I've got everything under control here. Thank you for bringing Harry to me."_

The three student mages had watched in curiosity as Albus led away the embarrassed boy. Severus and Remus had parted without a sound, leaving the three of them to stare around bewilderedly. It wasn't everyday this sort of thing happened. It almost made them nostalgic for the calm days. Almost.

Hermione, being the first to gather her wits, quickly announced they should get to the Great Hall to eat. It was plainly obvious the feast was over, but they could usually scrounge something up. But of course, the main reason was to sit down and discuss what had happened. Mainly the appearance of the new mage.

Once they had reached a table, and had food on their plates, the first person to speak was Ron.

"I dunf' twus hm!"

Hermione grimaced and calmly told Ron to swallow his food first… or she'd just as calmly cut off his balls. Ron chose the former. Draco laughed out loud, momentarily forgetting the unknown mage. Of course, it didn't take long for Draco to go serious again. Hermione and Ron sensed this, and they silenced as well.

"What are you thinking Draco?" Ron asked, dutifully swallowing his food first before speaking.

"Him." Hermione spoke up for Draco. "We already know he's not a threat to us. Dumbledore himself invited him to come. The boy, Harry, came here to deliver a message."

Draco narrowed his eyes. "Why would an order send a _student_? Why not a trained professor mage?"

"Maybe the Order trains their students in advance." Ron added helpfully. "We don't even know what Order he comes from. Never seen those robes, not even in the textbooks."

The two turned to Hermione as if asking her to confirm Ron's statement. "Don't look at me," she said crossly, "I don't know either."

"It's alright, Herm, you can't know everything." Ron consolingly patted her shoulder.

"I'm not bothered by it!" she yelled shrilly.

Ron laughed, "Sure, sure. It's okay. Forget about it."

His pseudo-calm voice frustrated Hermione greatly, but she knew it was only to lighten the mood. At that moment, however, the doors to the Great Hall creaked before being swung open. Pausing in his laughter, Ron turned around first before his face reddened with anger and surprise.

"YOU!"

Harry instantly froze in his tracks. Draco lost his happy expression, and simultaneously stood up with Ron. "What are you doing here?" Draco called.

Harry fidgeted. _I knew they wouldn't be happy.. I should've just stayed put with Dumbledore.._ He thought despairingly. "Well, I… Dumbledore sent me for dinner and..yeah.." Harry lost was little force he had behind his speech and lapsed into awkward silence. Ron looked ready to say something before Hermione stood up as well.

"Dinner? Why don't you sit with us then, Harry?" Harry felt some of his dread leak away and he gave her a weak smile.

"However," Hermione continued, "you can also tell us about why you came here."

Having expected this, Harry nodded tiredly. He was just glad that they didn't engage him in anymore battles. Approaching the table they sat at, he hesitantly sat by Draco. Ron and Hermione had been sitting by each other so the available seat was obviously beside Draco.

A plate appeared in front of Harry, food placed in it. A silver goblet appeared with pumpkin juice. Harry didn't start eating right away, not with Draco and Ron practically staring him down, so Hermione glared at them. Needless to say, Harry got to eat in peace. Not up to eating as much as he thought he'd like, Harry looked up.

"Where should I begin?" he asked bluntly.

"You're Order. And what happened to make you come here."

"During the Magi Ages…"

* * *

"—frozen in time. Basically, I've came to deliver the message to the Order in secret. But as you can see, the word secret doesn't seem to cooperate with me." Harry finished tiredly. It was a long story to tell, but he'd done it. Now all he had to do was wait and see what they would think.

Draco couldn't help but grin at last part. Draco was proud to say he was particularly good in the art of fencing.

He felt the beginnings of a grin tugging at his lips but before he could really get into it, he received a sharp kick from under the table. Swearing loudly, he looked over at the source. Hermione was glaring at him.

Hard.

"What?" he mouthed back, trying to adopt a wounded look. She looked pointedly at Harry who was poking at his food.

"Apologize!" she mouthed back.

Ron, who was watching their non-verbal conversation, looked at Hermione just as incredulously as Draco was. _'Good, I have an ally!'_

Unfortunately, not many people could stand up to Hermione when she was angry enough. Her eyes flashing, she made Ron back down like a scared puppy.

Ouch.

Sighing dramatically, Draco turned to Harry. "Look, Harry." Said boy turned to him questionably. "I'm s-s…"

Cor, did he have to apologize?

Harry got the hint and smiled over at Hermione appreciatively. It seemed he had gained a new friend. "No need. I should've just told you who I was. Besides, it's forgotten, right?"

Draco grunted. It didn't seem so hard to apologize now. It made Harry look even more charming if he didn't want Draco to apologize. Quiet silence fell on the four of them.

…

"So!" Ron clapped his hands together suddenly. "What say we give you a tour of the place? No doubt you're staying here. Will you be in the boys' dorms? We've got an empty bed."

Draco looked at Ron in the corner of his eye. Surely, this was not the same guy who had just agreed with him on not apologizing to Harry. What brought on his sudden bout of friendliness? Having a small idea, Draco surreptitiously looked under the table.

Yep. Hermione was digging her heel into Ron's foot.

Lovely.

Draco hid a grin behind his hand and to spare himself the pain, he nodded enthusiastically with Ron's proposal.

"Albus has already showed me the dorm." Harry responded sheepishly.

Oh. Well, then what could they do?

"Hey, Harry." Ron's tone seemed to be more casual, and Draco realized Ron was speaking willingly—not under the threat of having his foot torn off by Hermione, that is. "Ever heard of quidditch?"

Draco and Ron grinned simultaneously.

Harry gulped.

'_Quid..ditch?'

* * *

_

_**TBC

* * *

**_


	4. Of Flighty Actions

**Title:** Regnava nel Silenzio

**Author:** Gia

**Rating: **PG

**Pairing:** None

**Time**: AU

**Summary**: In a world that's unaware of the Orders' War, a student mage, Harry Potter, must warn the other Orders of the coming evil. Things don't go well when he runs into a student mage, Draco Malfoy, who engages a fencing duel with an inexperienced Harry. The road already begins with a hitch; how will the rest of the journey be?

**Disclaimer**: The story here is non-profit and for purely entertainment purposes; nor is it affiliated to Bloomsbury or any other publishers of Harry Potter. The characters belong to J.K. Rowling and the plot belongs to me.

**Author's Notes:** So what am I doing uploading this when I've got other stories going too? Well… sorry but this idea has been bouncing in my head while I've been trying to write the next chapters for my other fanfics. The only way to get rid of it was to write it down. Which I did. I tweaked it a bit and realized that it had some potential… so here I am.

You might be wondering about that **non-magic** bit, since I do say that there are magic tricks involved. Well, I make a distinction between magic and magic tricks. Harry's doing the latter, as in, it's not really magic, just smoke and mirrors kind of thing.

And about pairings…I'd rather not have any of that here. Maybe some moments between Ron and Hermione or some other characters… I just don't want that to get in the way of all the fun I'm going to have with this. The main characters happen to center around Harry and Draco but there isn't anything going on between them! You could imagine and it could work that way… but officially, nothing's happening.

Now onto the story!!

* * *

Some people are born so much closer to the sun  
Holdin' out their hands and grabbin' golden rays, they are the chosen few  
But we both know of course that's not you or me  
And I'd be telling the truth if I said it don't matter, so how bout you?

* * *

**Regnava nel Silenzio **

By Gia

_Chapter Four: Flighty Actions

* * *

_

The wind tousled his hair, although no comfort from this semi-warm breeze helped him face the situation he had gotten himself into. The field was a wide an open space, but the long poles sticking out of the ground were what took Harry's attention. The tops of the poles formed oval shaped circles. Draco was quick in summoning brooms, looking pointedly at Harry when he used his own type of magic.

Harry could only surmise it as a type of shadow magic. He'd never practiced something like that before, although he highly doubted Draco would be pleased if he tried borrowing his magic like he did with Ron.

He looked away from Draco's challenging stare, refusing to be baited. Ron was more discreet in his dislike towards him, managing to only roughly hand Harry one of the brooms. Harry took it hesitantly, glancing at the two boys. He wondered if they were going to beat him with their brooms and expect him to defend himself. Although how those poles above the ground had anything to deal with this, still confused him. Refusing to be left unguarded, Harry held his broom defensively, glancing furtively at the two.

They looked surprised at first, but then mirth shined in their eyes. Ron was the first to crack, pounding his leg as he bent over with laughter. Draco was busy shaking his head, smirking in his direction.

Harry flushed. "What?" he demanded.

"Relax, Potter," Draco intoned, "we're not going to beat you if that's what you're obviously thinking. We're going to fly them."

Ron nodded from the side, and indicated the hovering broom. Harry blinked twice, having not noticed the broom leaving Ron's hand and floating above the ground. Ron grinned and swung one leg over the broom, taking to the skies immediately.

Draco did the same soon after, throwing a look over his shoulder at Harry before following Ron's lead.

Harry stared up in awe at the two boys, wondering at how quickly they were zooming around one another. It wasn't a surprise to Harry that you could fly, but the ease in which they handled themselves was what did surprise him. It became painfully clear that they've been flying for quite awhile, which led Harry to believe that this Order's members probably flew this easily as well. He didn't immediately copy Draco or Ron's action, choosing instead to remain on the ground.

Transforming oneself into another creature that could fly, that was what was familiar to Harry. He'd never had the opportunity of doing this before, and didn't feel like beginning now.

Unfortunately for him, Draco and Ron had decided simultaneously that they should give Harry a taste of what it felt like.

"Look at him down there," Ron called to Draco, "he's not getting on."

Draco smirked, "You know, I'm glad Hermione isn't here."

Ron looked puzzled. "Why would--" Realization dawned on his face, as he glanced once more at Harry's immobile stance on the ground.

"You're not thinking what I think you're thinking, are you?"

Draco's smirk grew wider. "Ten galleons say he screams like a girl."

"You're on."

Harry's eyes widened impossibly large, as he found both boys diving down towards him. They didn't make a direct line, but rather straight down and skimming a few inches above the ground. The speed they were going at was exceedingly fast, and both were parallel to each other. Not to mention the fact, they were heading straight at him.

Harry took a step back, shock overriding his senses and making him incapable of getting out of the way. The broom he held in his hand fell to the ground softly, but Harry was too busy staring at the two boys who were rapidly enclosing. Harry sucked his breath in sharply, shutting his eyes and mentally preparing himself for the impact that would surely come.

Instead, he felt two forceful gusts of wind breezing past him on both sides. His eyes flew open as he spun around to stare at the boys who were again heading back up to the skies.

_'They were.. They were just doing that to scare me!'_ Harry thought angrily, trying to calm his rapidly beating heart.

He held back from lashing out, knowing full well that wouldn't help him now. He needed to gain their trust if he were to join them in the coming war. Still, he wasn't going to stay here and be mocked by the two. With all the composure he had, he started walking away from the field.

* * *

"Oi! Draco, look, he's leaving!"

"What!!?"

Draco looked down at where Ron was pointing, finding it true. Harry was walking at a fast rate away from the field.

"Cor, I guess we really gave him a scare there." Ron shook his head, laughing slightly.

Draco narrowed his eyes down at Harry's figure. "We're not done yet." he said after a pause.

Ron raised an eyebrow. "What d'you mean?"

"Follow my lead. Let's give him a real feeling of what it feels like to fly."

Before Ron could ask Draco to elaborate, Draco shot towards Harry's retreating back. Shrugging to himself, Ron sped down as well, coming parallel to Draco.

Harry was unaware of the rapidly approaching duo, until he felt two arms hook under each of his own and raise him bodily off the ground. He swallowed his scream, choosing instead to keep himself from spewing back up his dinner. The cold air was biting, and Harry felt dangerously close to falling, what with only two arms keeping him from certain death.

Laughter echoed in his ears, and Harry dimly heard Draco asking if he was enjoying the little ride. The sarcasm was hard to miss.

His eyes were beginning to sting, and Harry knew that it wasn't due to the chilly weather. He turned his head to glare at Draco, the corner of his eyes tearing up. Draco's smug expression faltered for a moment.

A moment long enough for Harry to think up swift revenge.

He turned his head to his other side, feeling Ron looking at him. He didn't need to look at him to see Ron's smug face falter too.

Before the other two could realize what happened, Harry wrenched his arms away from their hold on him. His descent down was swift. He held his arms out, adding resistance to his quick descent, and found himself smiling at the loud shouts from the two boys. But now was not the time, he needed all his concentration for his next act. Closing his eyes, he envisioned wings.

Like a light switching on, a bright outline of wings appeared in Harry's back. They weren't real wings, only imitations of the outline of the structure. They were large, and flapped soundlessly. The ease that the wings lent to him allowed Harry to safely maneuver himself down to the ground. His feet touching the ground were a welcome feeling to Harry's still fast beating heart. He turned half-way around, his wings blinking out, and he stared up at the shell-shocked boys.

His anger was still burning, but it was cold, giving him a detached feeling. The two had gone too far with their little act, but judging by how they looked now, Harry felt that they were even.

He turned and walked away.

* * *

The two didn't move from their place on the brooms. Ron's face was white, his fingers clenching his broom tightly. Draco was in a similar state, his mind's eye playing over and over Harry's face just before he fell.

"Damnit!" he swore loudly, descending towards the ground easily. Ron had followed behind mutely, still trying to calm his heartbeat.

Both of them didn't feel like bringing up what happened, something akin to guilt and shame eating away at their gut. Neither wanted to admit that they had gone too far, choosing instead to ignore it outright.

"Damnit--" Draco swore again, cutting himself off as he tried reigning in his frustration. His anger. He didn't know, he just didn't like what had just happened. He threw his broom aside, not caring if it was scratched in the act, and continued walking.

He gave a momentary pause in his stride, glancing through the corner of his eye at the broom. He raised his hand and made a swift shooing gesture. Something black and slightly transparent flew at the broom, and it broke in half with the nearly visible force. With grim satisfaction, Draco continued in his stride, ignoring Ron's dumbfound look.

"Cor," Ron spoke softly, staring at the remains of Draco's broom, "he-he…" Ron just shook his head in disbelief, continuing down the path and back towards the Order.

* * *

Harry wasted no time in rushing towards the room Albus showed him to earlier in the day. The walk back had brought down his anger, leaving him feeling drained. He didn't feel surprised at their actions, not after the first interesting meeting he had with them. Although, he had hoped that Hermione, who had seemed to be the one to keep them in check, would be able to talk to them.

Tell them what, Harry didn't know, but it was obvious that they weren't ready to welcome him with open arms.

He flopped back against the comfy bed, spreading out his limbs and allowing the tense muscles to relax. _'Today wasn't my day.._'

He sat up and eased himself off the bed. Harry decided he wasn't going to wallow in self-pity. He had already showed he could take care of himself, so he didn't need to feel stung from their blatant dislike. He felt the corners of his lips tug up into a smile as he slowly twirled around. His robes transformed into comfortable sleeping clothes. The nostalgic feeling accompanied with the transformation brought forth a memory in his mind.

It was when Ligeia had commented on his lateness in dressing in the morning…

* * *

...He rushed into the wide, airy room. Panting lightly, he flushed under Ligeia's amused gaze. The third level of the Fides Solarius had several large rooms which were used as practice for him. Today's lesson plan would remain unknown to Harry until she told him. Ligeia was one of the looser teachers Harry had. She made their sessions fun and laughed every chance she had. Harry adored her.

"Almost late again, Harry," she stood up straighter from her leaning position against the wall, "what's keeping you all the time?"

Harry ducked his head in embarrassment, not answering right away. "S'nothing.." he said after awhile, walking closer to the center of the room. He just wanted to start the lesson.

"Ah, come now, what's wrong?"

"Er.." Harry absentmindedly toyed with his robes. "You'll think it's silly.." he pointed out, pouting a bit.

Ligeia laughed and placed both hands on his shoulders. He blinked at the sudden movement, looking up at her affectionate gaze. "I won't," she promised gently, squeezing his shoulders gently to reassure him.

Harry sighed, nodding his head slowly. "Well, you see… it takes awhile to put on these robes."

He noticed her grin get wider and hurried to explain. "It's not as easy you think, you know!"

Apparently, his explanation only served to bring her to giggling. Giving an overly dramatic sigh, he stepped back and allowed her time to laugh it off. He put both hands on his hips, glaring back at her. "See! I knew you'd think it's silly."

Ligeia's giggles subsided easily, and she pretended to wipe a tear from her eye. "Oh, come on Harry. I had expected you'd have read about it somewhere. Or at least the others to have mentioned it before."

He raised an eyebrow. "Mentioned what?"

"Watch."

Ligeia held out her arms, spreading them wide as if she were presenting something grand, and twirled around slowly. Harry watched in awe, as her normally white robes, changed into something more elaborate. Like a spider web, threads of colors spread throughout the robe, knitting together to form designs. The shining gold threads formed suns into the fabric, and the color around it threaded into a deep purple.

It took only a few seconds for the robes to be complete, having been finished once she turned back around.

"Wow, Ligeia, that's amazing!"

"Yes, well, you get used to it once you do it everyday. Mow come here, let me show you."

Harry approached slowly, staring at her dubiously. It looked easy from his standpoint, but he was almost positive that it required a lot of concentration. She noticed his hesitant expression and explained.

"You'll need advice color wise, Harry. Fashion wise, really."

"Hey!" he called out indignantly, but his smile stayed in place.

The entire lesson was spent on coming up with different types of robes for Harry to wear. It had been one of the best lessons Harry had so far…

* * *

…he smiled fondly at the memory, flopping once again into the bed. Thinking about them now made him feel homesick, and he didn't want to give up so quickly. He'd stick it out in this new Order, and if that included not having friends, then it was something he had to deal with by himself.

The next day, Harry woke up quite early. He wasn't too tired from last night's activities, so he only needed minimal resting time. Today was a new day, and the morning light refreshed Harry. He made a beeline towards to lavatory, cleaning up, before heading down the hall towards the Great Hall.

Rather than last night's quiet mood, he could already hear at least several groups of people his age, chatting inside. He steeled himself for the attention he may bring, and pushed open the doors. To his immense relief, instant silence did **not** meet him. Few glanced his way, and Harry was glad for this. Not many were actually present, so Harry assumed that they didn't pay much attention to anyone new so early in the morning.

Harry immediately noticed that the high table at the back of this grand room was occupied by all the professor mages. He clearly saw Albus motioning for him to come and wondered if he was expected to make an introduction.

Upon approaching the table, Harry could clearly make out the curious stares he got from the other adults there. He found himself flushing yet again, but he was determined on not shying away. Albus smiled kindly over at him, once he stood beside the man's chair.

"Harry, my dear boy, I should introduce you to the professors first. I think it is necessary now, what with all their inquisitive questions directed at me."

Harry smiled back, feeling the atmosphere lighten considerably. The introductions were brief, merely an exchange of names and nods, before he was posed a question.

"Where would you like to sit Harry?"

He was a bit taken aback by question and asked what he meant.

"You may not be aware of this, Harry, but this order is divided into four Houses. You won't need to go through the customary sorting, as I believe this generation feels no inclination at keeping to their own House tables." Albus' eyes twinkled at the last statement. "So, I think it is alright for you to choose where you would like to sit."

"I see," Harry began slowly, looking back across to the four long tables, "I've really no idea, sir."

Albus inclined his head, nodding minutely at Harry's tentative response, and ignoring his disinclination to use 'Albus' to address him, "Then it seems you know not of the Houses of the three mages you dined with last night?"

Harry inwardly frowned at the mention of them but kept outwardly calm. "No, sir, I'm afraid not."

Harry noticed Albus' eyes stray away from his own to look to the side. Albus suddenly smiled. "Well, you have your chance now. I don't think they would mind making room for you, Harry, and I think you might like to meet the rest of their friends."

Who 'they' were, was quickly revealed to Harry when he glanced behind him. Draco, Ron, and Hermione had just entered the Hall and taken a seat at the same table they sat at last night. Hermione was the first to glance over at the Head Table, wasting no time in bringing to the other boys' attention of Harry's presence.

Harry turned back around before he could see the two boys look at him. He didn't fancy seeing any of their hostility in their faces.

Harry was unaware that they no longer carried hostility in their gazes, merely muted guilt and unease. They had noticed Harry's swift glance away, and were immediately reminded of what transpired last night.

Harry turned his attention back to Albus. "I think I'll sit alone at another table today, sir."

Rather than insist, like Harry thought he would, Albus merely nodded. Feeling somehow worse, Harry approached the four sets of tables. He could feel the expectance of the three as he neared their table, and was grimly satisfied when he pointedly sat away from them.

It was short-lived, however, when something akin to loneliness settled in. Trying to ignore the sight of them, Harry propped up his right elbow on the table, his palm holding his face and thereby covering the corner of his eye. Food magically appeared in front of him, and he tried not to slump as he slowly ate it. In the back of his mind, he could sense magical probing and roughly shut it out from his mind.

Harry became dimly aware of more students coming in. Food had quickly lost its appeal.

* * *

"I wonder what's wrong.." Hermione said faintly, glancing back at Harry's figure from her breakfast. She could feel a light wave of sadness coming from him, but it disappeared before she could latch on to anything.

She glanced up at the two boys across from her, taking in quite quickly their guilty emotions. She frowned, narrowing her eyes at Ron's lowered head and Draco's pointless poking at his food.

"What happened?" she demanded.

Draco wasn't immediate in answering, choosing instead to pretend he didn't hear her. Ron, however, was not as immune to Hermione's temper. His ears turned red.

"Ron. Draco. I know you two can hear me. Now tell me what happened." her eyes flashed, as she stressed the last sentence.

Draco let his fork clang noisily back onto the plate. "Look, 'Mione, it's nothing. Forget it."

Hermione frowned, but decided to let this one pass. Whatever took place had really shaken the two up, although she didn't think it was anything like a duel. Neither was sporting injuries, and she didn't detect anything like anger from Harry. So what could have happened?

* * *

Any further ideas were halted when students started coming in. The Hall was no longer as quiet, soon filled with the noise of babble. At once, Fred and George Weasley went straight for them. They were definitely jokers, their magical capabilities dealing in explosive magic. Not quite sure how to explain it, it was just sort of a neat chaos that the twins dealt with. Not to mention the fact that they were Ron's older brothers.

"Oi! Who's that boy over there? Never seen robes like that before." Fred asked, using his head to indicate him.

Hermione opened her mouth to explain but was cut off when the sudden hush of silence swept around the entire Hall. Albus Dumbledore had stood up, an action that was immediately noticed by all. All the students, by now, had arrived.

"I apologize in halting your breakfast," Albus began, "but I must introduce a new mage that will be joining us for a time."

It was obvious to those who sat near Harry's seat that Albus was referring to him and now more students were beginning to stare at him. "Harry Potter has arrived from the Order of 13. The circumstances of his arriving," he paused, his eyes roving around the student body, "are unimportant for now. I just hope that we show Mr. Potter how welcoming this Order can be."

His eyes stopped on Harry's hunched position in his seat, his eyes clenched tightly as if in pain when he felt Albus' gaze, before he proceeded to continue eating slowly. Albus tiredly sighed after bidding the students to continue with their breakfast. Albus could understand that any mage his age might not want to be brought to attention so abruptly, but it had to be done.

"Do you think it wise, Albus," Remus started, having stood and personally walked towards the other man's seat, "to trust him?"

Albus hummed an affirmation, his eyes still fixed on Harry's figure.

Remus followed his gaze and felt a little concern at the lack of seats surrounding Harry. It seemed that the students were waiting for someone to sit by him first, before anyone would join in. It wasn't that Remus didn't trust him, he just felt wary at a new addition to the Order. He idly rubbed his arm, feeling through the fabric a scar, before leaving the Great Hall from the back door.

_'I think I'll prepare for class.'

* * *

_

Harry was aware of the talk around him, and stopped pushing the food around his plate. He shouldn't let his poor interaction with Ron and Draco disrupt his chance in making new friends.

He slowly looked up, as if suddenly becoming aware of his attention, and hesitantly smiled over at several people who were caught in the act of looking at him. They flushed at being found, but took this as an invitation to meet him. Only two boys stood up first, walking to sit in front of Harry. The feeling of apprehension was beginning to stir, but Harry squashed it down.

"I, well, it's nice to meet you." Harry began, barely keeping from stuttering.

One of the boys smiled widely, the other grinning as well. "Likewise, Harry, m'name's Seamus. Seamus Finnegan."

Harry smiled, instantly relaxing, turning his head to face the other boy. "Dean Thomas," the boy began, "nice to meet you too, Harry."

Food popped up in front of Seamus and Dean, and the three began a light conversation between bites. The two's actions apparently signaled a sign to the other watchful students, because others came in to fill the free seats around Harry and the others.

Soon, Harry found himself engaged in talks with everyone and found that he didn't mind his stay in the Order after all.

"So, d'you know what classes you'll be doing here?"

Harry found himself unable to answer, but was relieved from answering in the first place when a Professor Mage walked towards their table. She was an elderly looking woman, but she carried herself with fluidity only seen in younger years. Her face looked stern, but the shadow of a smile on her lips softened her face. Harry remembered Albus introducing him to her, Professor Minerva McGonagoll.

"I believe I can answer that, Mr. Finnegan." she spoke, inclining her head in his direction. She brought out a single sheet of parchment and handed it to Harry. "I doubt you will have trouble finding your classes, not with your newly acquainted schoolmates."

Harry accepted the parchment, "Yes, thank you Professor."

She smiled and headed back towards the Head Table. Harry looked down at the parchment, aware that the students beside him were glancing as well. Harry was immediately bombarded with directions to each classroom and he felt decidedly happy.

He grinned widely at everyone around him. "Thank you." he said sincerely. No one was really aware that he was thanking them for more than just their help.

* * *

_**TBC

* * *

**_


	5. Of Hasty Kidnapping

**Title:** Regnava nel Silenzio

**Author:** Gia

**Rating: **PG

**Pairing:** None

**Time**: AU

**Summary**: In a world that's unaware of the Orders' War, a student mage, Harry Potter, must warn the other Orders of the coming evil. Things don't go well when he runs into a student mage, Draco Malfoy, who engages a fencing duel with an inexperienced Harry. The road already begins with a hitch; how will the rest of the journey be?

**Disclaimer**: The story here is non-profit and for purely entertainment purposes; nor is it affiliated to Bloomsbury or any other publishers of Harry Potter. The characters belong to J.K. Rowling and the plot belongs to me.

**Author's Notes:** So how are you liking the story so far? I certainly am enjoying myself! XD A reviewer mentioned the italicized lines in the chapters, and I've decided to remove them. The chapters will definitely be longer now, so that should be a plus for you all! XD By the by, **MERRY CHRISTMAS!

* * *

**

The year's at the spring  
And day's at the morn  
Morning's at seven;  
The hill-side's dew-pearled;  
The lark's on the wing;  
The snail's on the thorn:  
God's in his heaven—  
All's right with the world!

* * *

**Regnava nel Silenzio **

By Gia

_Chapter Five: Hasty Kidnappings

* * *

_

Harry was enjoying all of his classes, the Order's castle never ceasing to amaze him. The structure of the castle and classes were a bit strange to Harry at first, but he soon got accustomed to it due to the fact that he was sharing it with others around his age. He learned about the '_Three Walls', _which referred to the East, West, and South wall of the castle. The walls were each charmed with large windows that gave a view of the outside along with protection charms. They represented the three general subjects taught within the Order. Incantations for the East Wall, Potions for the South Wall, and the study of Magical Creatures for the West Wall.

The first two subjects were broken down into several sub-sections and classed the student mages by magical prowess and theory. Transfiguration and Defensive Magic were some of the sub-sections for Incantations, though students fondly nicknamed the class '_Cants'_.

Potions dealt with four sub-sections: healing, defensive and offensive potions. The fourth sub-section was reserved for the procurement of ingredients needed for potion-brewing. This section, aptly nicknamed '_Herbology_', only went into effect every three weeks for refilling. As for the first three, a rotation system is employed in which students practice on each section for three and a half months before going to the next section.

Finally, the study of Magical Creatures, which occupied the West Wall, had only two sub-sections. The first section involved the study of magical creatures that resided in the Forest alongside of the order. It was referred to as the '_Forbidden Forest_' because a Professor Mage was to be present in all undertakings to go inside. The second section was spent on becoming familiar with both the magical creature's description and geographic location that were too distant from the Order.

If the oddly arrange subjects were a lot to take in, so was which house table to sit in…at least in Harry's opinion. When breakfast started, he still hadn't decided on which table to sit on. It came as a slight surprise to find that the seat he had sat in for the morning was unofficially labeled his own. Seamus and Dean were already sitting there, and Harry immediately felt grateful.

He hadn't spoken to any of the three mages he first met, though he remembered their names. _'Draco.. Ron.. Hermione..'_ Harry counted in his head. They never did show up to meet with him again. This particular arrangement wasn't necessarily a good thing, but Harry felt that any type of interaction with them would be strained. The last thing on his mind was to start anything when things were going so smoothly.

"_Oi_! Harry, what are you doing?"

Harry blinked, looking around at the faces turned towards him. "What?" he asked blankly.

"You've been cutting **nothing** on your plate for five minutes now. And I think you just drank my drink." Seamus pointed out easily.

Harry flushed, looking down at his hands. He was eating a tasty slice of chicken, but apparently he hadn't realized that he was done cutting and had already eaten everything on his plate. And as for Seamus' drink…

"Oh! Seamus, I'm sorry--"

"Forget it, it doesn't matter." Seamus waved his hand. "But I wouldn't make it a habit of trading spit with me."

Harry blanched.

A boy on Harry's other side laughed, bumping his shoulder against Harry so that he'd relax. Harry remembered his name as Terry Boot.

"Seamus always says interesting things like that," Terry said with a grin, "we never pay attention to any of it."

"Hey!"

"Eh? D'you hear that Harry?" Terry cocked his head to the side. "I _**swear**_ I heard something vaguely annoying, but I can't seem to… no, no, I can't make it out."

Harry laughed, turning his head to the side to wink at Seamus.

"Let's go, class will be starting soon."

Harry nodded at the girl who had come over to tell them, but he couldn't pin a name to the face. Dean must have seen Harry's silent question because as they were walking through the corridors, he fell in step with Harry. "She's George's girlfriend."

Harry turned his head to the side, "George?"

"Ron's brother."

Harry's expression darkened for a moment, but he quickly wiped it away before Dean could notice. He shouldn't base off other meetings with this George, even if he was Ron's brother.

"George and Fred, both twins, and both obviously Ron's brothers." Dean continued. "Pranksters and extremely talented with explosive magic. Blew up several classrooms last week, and rumor has it that they're planning on doing an entire floor in the Order."

Harry raised an eyebrow at the destruction described.

"It's not all that bad, really, the other professors are used to it. The two always put it back to the way it is so there's no harm done. But I swear they've had the most demerits and detentions known to man."

Anything more Dean was going to say quickly faded away as they approached the door to Harry's next class. As far as Harry could tell, they were heading south of this huge castle. There were random doors along the corridors they traveled, but Harry was well aware that the farther everyone walked, the more everything seemed to slop downward. Besides that, all Harry knew about the place they were heading to was that it was Potions and the Professor of the class was the same one he first met upon entering the Order.

The walls were dank and the lighting was poor. The downward descent ceased and leveled off. When the door opened, Harry was amazed by the sheer size of the room. Connected desks were situated in the center, perfectly aligned and parallel to each other. What amazed Harry; however, were the gigantic windows on the opposite wall. From Harry's spot, he could practically feel the protection wards weaved through the glass. A slight push from behind reminded him that he was blocking the way so he quickly headed towards a seat.

There was a distinct herbal odor permeating the wooden tables, but it was a scent that Harry didn't mind. No one in the class had time to converse with one another because another person had swept into the room. Harry realized quite quickly that this professor was not a cheery one. If it wasn't his cold expression, or his intimidating posture, or quite possibly the man's narrowed obsidian eyes that made the temperature in the Potion's room drop, then Harry was sure he was out of the loop.

"Today's lesson will involve brewing a confusion concoction."

Harry blinked at the velvety voice, finding it quite difficult to place that mellifluous tone to the menacing figure.

"Ingredients are to be known as this was supposed to have been covered in your summer reading. In this case, a wide array of ingredients has been laid out for you in several tables at the back of the room." He paused as he regarded the wary faces of his students. Whatever he was or was not searching for didn't matter because he nodded minutely in approval and bade them to prepare their potions.

Harry stood up quickly along with the other students and made his way to the back. Along side the wide back wall were several tables laden with ingredient and several, rather large, shelves that carried even more ingredients. Potions wasn't necessarily a strong point of Harry's, but he was decent at it. At the moment, his mind was racing with lessons that Peisinoë taught him. Fortunately, the ingredients were abundant so there was no problem in fighting over them. Harry was calmly picking his way through until he realized that he was standing next to a certain silver-haired boy.

Tensing minutely, Harry made no move to show that he had noticed him. The other acted similarly, nothing in his moves implying harm. Seeing this, Harry relaxed and realized that the incident must have been forgotten by the other boy. Harry felt annoyed at first but berated himself for the foolish thought. Sighing quietly, Harry made his way back to his desk and the provided cauldron and started on the potion.

The potions master, whose name Harry had yet to find out, had taken to walking down the aisles to check the progress of each students' potion. Harry felt a bit apprehensive at the man's approach, and not just because he was nervous in his potion making. The memory of meeting the man didn't fade over time. No doubt the man may be angry towards him for lashing out without thinking. A small part of him could understand that but that only made him feel worse.

Harry felt more than saw the man's stop at his side. He slowly sucked in his breath and mentally prepared himself for anything the man may say to him.

"Hm."

Footsteps faded away.

Harry sat in his seat desperately trying not to appear too gob smacked. He expected anger, sarcasm, _anything_—but **indifference**? Not wanting to curse his good fortune, Harry relaxed and paid extra attention in the potion's completion. The remainder of the class was spent relatively quiet and before Harry knew it, it was time to leave. Oddly enough, Harry felt that something should have happened. _'What am I thinking…?! Asking for trouble is what I—'_

"Mr. Potter, remain after class."

Harry blinked, and soon after, felt numerous sympathetic pats upon his shoulder as he watched his fellow classmates leave. Soon, the sound of carefree chatter died away and he was left alone. Well, alone with this foreboding figure.

Harry swallowed an uncomfortably, and stepped closer when the man beckoned him. Harry was well aware of many things the Potions Master could begin with, from berating him for their first encounter to threats of Harry's presence in his classroom. What Harry didn't expect was for him to propose new introductions for the two of them.

"It would be best, for both our welfares, that future interaction between us to not be so strained. Wouldn't you agree?"

"..er, y-yes, sir."

"Therefore I believe I should introduce myself. Professor Severus Snape, Potions Master of the Order of the Phoenix."

Harry blinked but hastily held out his hand to shake. "Harry Potter, former student mage of the Order of Thirteen and current student of the Order of the Phoenix."

Severus nodded his head in acknowledgement, releasing Harry's hand and walking to sit at his desk. "Now that we've gotten over the first hurdle, I want to reinforce that I am still your professor and thus, must be treated like one."

Harry nodded hurriedly, wanting to reassure him that he expected no special treatment.

Severus raised an eyebrow but with a wave of his hand, opened the door of his classroom. "I believe your class has already started. Best to hurry."

Harry did a double-take at the abrupt gesture but quickly made his way out of the room.

* * *

"I wonder why he called him to stay…" Hermione said thoughtfully, glancing at both boys in front of her to see if she would get any reactions. Ron shrugged, eyes averted while Draco briefly slowed down in his walking before resuming it again.

"Doesn't matter, does it 'Mione?" Ron muttered, his eyes checking the halls while he spoke.

"I suppose not," She conceded, her pace increasing as the door to their next class loomed. "but I was hoping we'd get the chance to befriend him, seeing as how we met him first."

The boys stared after her as she pushed the door open and walked in. Ron and Draco shared a look, shrugged, and walked inside.

The room was large, tremendously so with a high ceiling. Humongous windows nearly covered the wall across of the door, enchanted with a dozen enchantments to prevent any destruction from within or the outside. The Incantations room was already bustling with student activity as everyone hurriedly sat down at their seats. Everyone knew that as soon as everyone was ready, then the class could _really_ begin. Two teachers walked in with considerable differences in appearance, one being the fact the one of teachers was astoundingly short, whereas the other was relatively tall.

"You'd think Professor Flitwick would charm some height on to himself." Ron whispered, nudging Draco with a grin.

Draco smirked and rolled his eyes.

Roll was haphazardly taken by the short teacher, Professor Flitwick, before the other man started to divide the class.

"Excuse me, Professor Lupin?" Hermione called out.

The other teacher, Professor Remus Lupin, looked up at the girl and inclined his head to show he was listening.

"I was wondering what sections we would start off today because I remember hearing that classes would start differently on the rotation system—"

Remus smiled kindly, raising his hand to stall her. "Basic charms with Professor Flitwick and Defensive Magic with me."

"Oh. Well… thanks." Hermione flushed at the easy reply.

After roll was taken and the class divided, the students immediately stood up and formed in line in front of their respective teachers. On one front of the room, there were two separate doors that led into smaller rooms to practice the individual magic. Students shared smiles and waved goodbye to their classmates as they stepped inside to begin their class.

* * *

Lunch, like breakfast and most likely dinner, was a loud affair, something that Harry gradually understood to be a norm. At the moment, some of his classmates were interrogating him as to what happened in the Potions room after Snape had dismissed everyone.

"What did he ask you Harry?"

"Did he threaten you?"

"Did he hex you?"

"How about curse you?"

"Did he feel you up?"

"_SEAMUS!"_

Seamus grinned.

Harry took all the questions, even Seamus' goodheartedly. It had been an altogether pleasant day that made Harry believe that things were beginning to look up. At that moment, with all the questions being thrown at him, Harry had a distinct feeling that everyone seemed more lively than usual. He voiced his question to Seamus and stared in bemusement as the boy looked speechless.

"By Cor, I forgot you didn't you!"

"Didn't know what?"

"_Oi! _Dean, come over here. Harry never knew about the crusades!"

"Crusades…?" Harry tilted his head in bewilderment. _'What did crusades have to deal with this?'_

Dean plopped down on Harry's other side. "Crusades are just a fancy term for. Today's the day. Once a month, a group of students are chosen to go out to nearby towns and aid anyone we can. The entire time, we spend a week going to several towns. The crusades always occur on the last week of each month. It's sort of to give us the real-life practice of what we've learned each month."

Harry's eyebrows shot up. "Isn't that a bit much? We're only students… but wait. So the Headmaster calls up say, half a dozen of students and just sends them out there? What of the other people out there?"

Seamus shook his head. "It really is safe, Harry. You'll see what we're talking about when you're called. The people chosen usually split up anyway, so there's not really a group to begin with."

Harry looked astonished at that so Seamus hastened to reassure him. "It's been a tradition of this Order since… since I don't even know! We've interacted with the majority of the villages we visit for quite some time. Besides, our parents live in some of them, you know?"

"Oh…" Harry could've hit himself if he could. _'Of course! Not everyone's like me. Their parents live in the towns…'_

"You okay there?"

Harry nodded his head, shooting them a small grin. "It doesn't sound too bad. A chance to help others."

"Yes, it's a great chance for us to use what we've learned here to benefit others."

Harry looked up at the girl he spoke up. Hermione, along with Ron and Draco had taken seats across from the three boys. Both Dean and Seamus greeted them with gusto but Harry remained silent. He didn't know yet how to act around the three, not after there terrible meeting with each other.

Ron shot a look at Harry, nudging Draco in the process. Both boys nodded to each other.

"Who do you think will be chosen this time?" Draco asked, the question open to everyone.

"Who knows? It'd be a good chance for Harry. I've never seen him do any of his magic yet."

Harry flushed when everyone turned to him. "Oh…well, it's…"

"We've already experienced it firsthand." Ron cut in, throwing Harry an engaging smile. "Haven't we Draco?"

Draco gave a dramatic sigh. "Still suffering scars, let me say."

Harry's eyes widened and to everyone's surprise, let out a loud laugh. Hermione smiled at Ron and Draco, glad to see that whatever had happened was forgotten or at least, let go. Soon, the entire table was engaged in story telling of past adventures. From the stories being told, Harry was already hoping he'd get chosen.

As if acting in Harry's wish, the Headmaster suddenly stood to announce this month's group. Albus stood up, smiling at all the students whose faces were turned to him. "I will now announce the roll for this month's crusades roll."

He pulled out a scroll and adjusted his half-moon spectacles. "Harry Potter--"

To his surprise, Harry was called out from the beginning. He hastily stood up and blushed at the attention coming towards him.

"—Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger, Blaise Zabini, Ron Weasley, Seamus Finnegan, Aidan Lynch, and Dean Thomas."

Albus rolled up the scroll, regarding the students chosen with a knowing smile. "You have an hour's time to get prepared before we see you off."

Not needing to be told twice, they all headed to their respective rooms to pack. It never really took an hour to get ready, what with the standard mage trunks, but the allotted time was usually to allow the departing students a chance to say goodbye to their fellow classmates.

Now, Harry was in his room surveying his room. He wouldn't be gone long but Harry wanted to be absolutely sure. He quickly scanned the contents of every compartment held by the trunk before closing it with a satisfying click. The students met at the front of the Order to be seen of by the other teachers. All their trunks were shrunk and safely tied to a cord slung around their necks. Harry fingered his nervously as he waved goodbye to the teachers.

* * *

As soon as they met a fork in the road, the other students broke away. Harry shared a grin with Seamus and Dean who were heading to the same town. Apparently, both their parents resided in the town and were glad to see them again.

"Care to join us?"

Harry turned around to face Draco, Hermione and Ron a little ways ahead of the two of them. "Sure." _'Nowhere else to go anyway…'_

Draco shot him a look, but kept silent. They walked on until they came upon a small village. Their robes identified them as the visiting mages so there was no suspicion directed towards them. Harry followed the three, and for several hours, visited each house to heal or fix anything that would normally be irreplaceable.

Harry smiled down at one of the little girls who tugged at his robes. Harry bent down until he was at eye level with her. "Anything wrong?"

The girl gave a wide grin, two wide gaps in her smile that caused Harry to smile back as well. "I hurt my knee when I was playing my friend Alice."

"Oh really?" Harry gave another smile, as he inspected the light gash on her knee. He waved his hand and the gash disappeared.

"Wow! I wish I could do that! Thank you!"

Harry winked, waving his fingers as she ran off to her own home.

"Hey, Harry? Ready to go?"

"Yes! I'm coming!" He jogged towards the three and they left the village after saying goodbye.

"You seem to have a way with children." Hermione noted aloud while they were walking down one of the dirt roads. While the three had taken care of healing ailments of the people, Harry's main patients were usually children.

Harry shrugged. "Guess so."

Hermione opened her mouth to ask another question until the neighing of horses caught their attention. Seven horsemen were galloping on the road and heading their direction. The four quickly made got of their path but was suddenly made wary when the horsemen came to halt in front of them.

Draco narrowed his eyes but kept silent. Hermione glanced at the riders who were all male. The riders' ages seemed to stay in the early twenties, though two seemed to be their age. Her alert eyes landed on their arms, and she frowned in confusion when identical scars covered their right arms. It looked strangle familiar to her…

"Is there anyone needing assistance?" Hermione asked first, keeping her voice loud and steady.

The rider nearest to them stared at her and said something in a tongue neither of them understood. Their confusion must have been apparent because the man started gesticulating.

Harry frowned in confusion when the man gestured towards him and made a weird gesture by shaking his hand, as if it was clasping something. Hermione had a look of concentration on her face as she tried to make out what the man was trying to say. Draco pursed his lips in annoyance, and would've probably told the men to give up so they could leave if one of the riders hadn't suddenly called out.

It was a boy who seemed to be around their age, maybe sixteen. He had wavy, brown hair with messy strands falling over his forehead. His eyes matched his hair color, with the exception of tints of gold in his eyes that wouldn't be noticeable if not for the sun shining. The boy copied the first riders' actions, pointing at Harry then making a weird gesture with his hand.

Ron turned to Harry. "Do you know these people Harry?"

Harry shook his head, staring at the other boy with trepidation. "No, I've never met anyone when I stayed at the Order."

The boy gave a sound of frustration and pulled something from his waist. Draco's hand flexed but he withheld his magic.

_**Ching!**_

The four of them looked down and regarded a leather pouch. Several gold coins rolled out and stopped at their feet.

"What—"

"_HARRY!"_ Hermione shrieked.

The boy had produced a long staff and before the three could react, had swiftly knocked Harry in the side of his head. Before the now unconscious boy could crumple to the floor, the boy used the staff to catch the hood of his robes and lifted him up bodily with the staff.

Both Ron and Draco raised their hands to cast but several riders already had strung bows pointed in their direction. While that wouldn't normally mean much, the boy who now held an unconscious Harry in his arms kept in their line of fire.

Without so much as another foreign word, the group rode off down the road and disappeared.

Ron bent down to pick up the pouch and threw it angrily. "What the _hell_ just happened?"

Brows furrowed, Hermione paced. "I think I recognize something about them."

Draco, his arms crossed, headed over to her. "What do you mean?"

"What are we doing just standing here?" Ron cut in. "We've no way where they could be going and we have no chance if we just stand here—"

"_Listen_, Ron. I think I know where they may be going."

Ron looked faintly astonished. "_How_?"

"Professor _Lupin…"_

"_What…!?"

* * *

_

_**TBC

* * *

**_


End file.
